Sad to say, this Braves’ season could be over very soon
Folks, the Braves could be finished by the Fourth of July. They’re 30-33, no longer even in third place in the NL East. Of their next 15 games, not one is scheduled against a team under .500.
There’s no reason to think they’ll make a big move in the standings this next fortnight. They haven’t since the season’s first week. There’s a basic reason for that: They’re just not very good.
The starting pitching is solid but not 1990s-era solid. The relievers are so-so. The offense is awful. They’ve already made one major trade, and they’re 4-7 since Nate McLouth arrived. There’s not much more they can do to better themselves except play better, and at this point it doesn’t appear they’re capable.
Loading ...They’ve scored 37 runs in the 11 games since the McLouth acquisition, and even those numbers are misleading. Seven times in those 11 games they’ve scored three runs or fewer, and all seven times they’ve lost. Not to put too fine a point on it, but they just can’t hit. And I doubt they’ll ever hit much.
Twelve of the next 15 games are against the Red Sox, Yankees and Phillies. Those teams can hit. I wish I could say I’m optimistic, but I’d be lying. By the time the Peachtree Road Race gets here, the 2009 Braves could be done running.
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406 comments Add your comment
Einstein
June 17th, 2009
5:14 pm
Fixing the Braves is simple…retire Bobby, Terry, Roger, and whoever is in charge of evaluating talent. Give them a big parade, tell them how much we love them and what they have meant to Atlanta, but time to move on. Next, hire Ned Yost and let him bring a new staff to evaluate what we have on the team. This team needs discipline and an attitude. How can you have any of these when your leader looks like he’s 9 1/2 pregnant and only argues strikes (which is an automatic ejection). Frenchy, Escobar, etc. have talent, but no incentive or respect. Give them a reason or show them the highway. Finally, quit listening to all the old Braves apologists, who would have starting pitchers of Glavine, Smoltz, Neikro, Avery, et al, even though none could break 70 mph. The Braves are a major league team, and this is a business, not an old folks home or an annuity. As my namesake once said, the thinking that got us here won’t be the thinking that gets us out of here. Peace.
michael vick
June 17th, 2009
5:15 pm
the problem is no one can hit the ball out of the park mark derosa of all people has 13 home runs…well above any of the braves. is it that difficult to find someone who can hit homers?
Unknown
June 17th, 2009
5:16 pm
Braves are done this season. They are playing for 3rd place.
Mitch C
June 17th, 2009
5:17 pm
Mark, while in reality, you’re probably right, I’m looking at the other side of the coin.
The last time the Braves played the Mets and Phillies in New York and Philly, they had a very good road trip. That was during that one stretch in mid May where they played well. They seem to “get up” for the good teams, and play lousy against the lesser teams.
They might well play 500 against the Yankees and Phillies, et all, and stay just about where they are, and not fade until later in the summer. I’m by no means saying that the Braves will make any major moves forward in the division, because I dont think they will, but it’s very possible you might see them go something like 7-8 or 8-7 over the next fifteen, and be just about where they are now, or not much further behind.
I know you said you were going to address the Cos thing in a later blog, but I really think that it’s time for him to retire. Maybe this team is just in a rebuilding mode, even though no team likes to say that nowadays with the money at stake in attendance and merchandising revenue, especially in this economy. What I would love, is if Bobby went back to being the GM, and made Wren his assistant, and let someone else take over in the dugout. Shake it up after 20 years. It seems time to do something, with this team in it’s fourth season in a row of non contending baseball.
Mitch
Jack G.
June 17th, 2009
5:17 pm
The Braves wont wait until July 4th—-they are already out of it
At the risk of repeating myself, I have said since the 08 season ended, that 09 would be a repeat of 08 as long as BC and TP were on board.
What do I think you will say in your BC post.—I think you will say Bobby is a saint, and all the team troubles are not his fault.
gene garbage
June 17th, 2009
5:19 pm
trade vasquez??? man you are crazy!!! he’s good, way under-rated… truth is, the team is looking ahead to next year already.. i’ve heard 3 guys on the bravos already mention next year. talking about the pitching they’re going to have, which they will, lowe, hudson,jurrjens,vasquez,and hanson. looks pretty good to me. but they’ve already thrown in the towel.
as i have….
bravesfanforever
June 17th, 2009
5:21 pm
Cecil34… Well said. It all starts at the top. It’s really sickening that this proud club used to be in the top 3 in spending in all of baseball. If this club wanted someone we could bet that player was coming to Atlanta.
Aaaaaah… Those were the days. Now back to reality (as we rip the needle across the record)…
retarded lib
June 17th, 2009
5:23 pm
Did they dump Wren yet?
gene garbage
June 17th, 2009
5:25 pm
find us a let fielder please… i know i know, we need a rf, 2nd baseman, 1st baseman and bullpen that don’t walk so many people. but we will see either brandon jones or heyward in rf in 2010, infante or prado at 2nd, freeman at 1st, so don’t look for any moves for those positions. i’m ok with that, just get me a left fielder who can produce a little more.
bravesfanforever
June 17th, 2009
5:25 pm
Gene…
What’s wrong with Lowe, Jurrjens, Hanson, and Kawakami and maybe Medlen as the fifth starter, along with a 3 positions in the outfield who can HIT? If we kept Hudson he would be in the mix with Kawakami or Hanson taking up the 5th slot.
There are only so many slots available you know. Someone is going to get traded. I can just about guaranty you that Vasquez will be one of them in part due to the $11.5 million salary and because the team just does not need that much pitching. It would be nice if we had a line up that could hit but we don’t so we need to give up something to get something.
Scoots
June 17th, 2009
5:26 pm
The Braves have plenty of talent in the field – they lack heart, and, for lack of a better word – balls. There’s no energy – the team’s leaders (Cox and Chipper) are way too laid back. I don’t see anyone having fun, or anyone fired up. Look at other teams, such as the Red Sox. I hate the Red Sox, but you’ve got to love the passion and energy people like Kevin Youklis brings every game.
I love Bobby Cox, but I don’t see any willingness on his part to evolve with the game, or with the different teams he has year to year. This is not a power hitting team – therefore, we need to play small-ball to have a chance. I know we don’t have a real fast crew, but damnit we’ve got a few quick guys – can we at least try to get guys in scoring position? Particularly since all we can hit are singles?
I’m ready to throw my shoe through the television next time Jurrjens pitches a great game and gets a loss because the offense can’t produce more than one run. Wake up Braves! Grab your crotches, spit tobacco, get dirty, get mean, get fired up, have some fun, and give your fans something to get excited about! The rest of us in the real world have had to step up our game in this economy, otherwise we may not have a job tomorrow; Francouer, KJ, Esobar, and Garrett need to get with the program and play like they’re trying to keep their job.
vasily
June 17th, 2009
5:27 pm
Did they dump Wren yet?
StingerSplash
June 17th, 2009
5:29 pm
Yeah, Bobby Valentine sneaking back into the dugout with the Groucho nose and glasses on after he’d been given the heave-ho is not, shall we say, “the Braves way” of doing things.
Mark Bradley
June 17th, 2009
5:30 pm
I should probably point out that, when it comes to making Fourth of July predictions, I’m the worst. Remember this whiff?
bravesfanforever
June 17th, 2009
5:34 pm
Scoots…. It’s lack of talent, not attitude. I seriously doubt that “trying harder” is going to cut it otherwise every team would have a squad of psychologists on board.
turkey
June 17th, 2009
5:36 pm
Liberty Media has brought an old act out of the closet. The Bad News Braves are back. Where is Ted Turner when you need him? Arthur Blank, HELP,HELP.
mamac
June 17th, 2009
5:36 pm
gotta play small ball these days – no homerun hitters – roids gone
patrick
June 17th, 2009
5:42 pm
I don’t know when the Braves are going to make the needed changes: 1) replace Bobby Cox, and 2) either demote, or trade Jeff Francouer. Somebody needs to shake things up, and finally realize that baseball is a “what have you done for me lately sport”.
gene garbage
June 17th, 2009
5:45 pm
kamakazi is not going to hack it.. not sure what to do with him, but he’s just not going to “get er done”. maybe move him to the pen, along with all the other guys who like to walk people.
they’re done, and they know it…as do we.
MB, i’ll go ahead and give this one to ya, it won’t take until the fourth…so this one goes in the “i got that one right” category…good for you.
Scott S.
June 17th, 2009
5:46 pm
Lets all hang our heads for a moment and remember the past teams and mourn for the passing of “our” Braves bats. They died a long time ago!! The Braves we all grew up will be back someday hitting and pitching like hall of famers. This year is officially over for me and I am guessing for all of you out there as well. I have been as optimistic as I can be to this point and can no longer do it. Went to see the Bravos in Baltimore and they look flatter in person then on the broadcasts. No life in this team and at least Barbaro Canzinares had some oomph in him but this is why I agree to let the kids come up and light a fire under the team. They would not be any worse than Schafer and I have to say that I think at least defensively Schafer is far better than McLouth.
Nova Scotia Steve
June 17th, 2009
5:47 pm
Well Mark, Let’s hope this isn’t the next coming of God…and you are not a prophet on this July 4th prediction…
However I think you nailed this one and frankly i’m a little worried!
K with a K
June 17th, 2009
5:49 pm
Next Braves Manager…
1: Ned Yost
2: Joe Simpson
3: Eddie Perez
4: Don Mattingly
GT
June 17th, 2009
5:49 pm
The pocketbook is not there. We have great pitching but we are like a fine old house that has not been kept up. I have never seen a more lackadaisical Braves team from coaching, managing, to playing. Jeff F. comes up hacking at every pitch, Chipper is broken down again. For years we had a shortstop that was light out now we got a shortstop whose light is out. I listened to a radio show by mistake that used batting averages as a show of evidence that the Braves would have been better off with present personal than the ones they tried to trade for over the summer. I just now have become appreciative how brains in baseball works and these guys are not quite there this year. That Torre seems to get it wherever he goes. It is a case of money though, if Bobby had the old pocketbook he would be right there again this year.
gene garbage
June 17th, 2009
5:50 pm
bobby’s not going anywhere, at least not until the end of next year, when he hangs them up.
and oh joy, we’ll get TP then….
Packerman
June 17th, 2009
5:51 pm
Anyone know anything about Heyward? Why is he still at High-A Myrtle Beach? Shouldn’t we have promoted him by now? He can’t be any worse than what we call a team in Mississippi.
MB – ya got anything?
Jenzen
June 17th, 2009
5:52 pm
Mark, sadly I must agree except for timing. I think they were toast as long ago as the first of the month. No attitude, down-in-the-dumps, poor play, atrocious pitching – particularly in the bullpen. BUT, Cox has his job forever and TP is still coaching the hitters (is that why they are scoring runs?). Better watch out, Liberty Media is looking at attendance and payrolls and something had better happen fast. Not that they will improve, but that they all have jobs lined up for the near term…the front office, I mean.
Frank Wren has a target on him the size of a baseball diamond. Cox will be the last one standing. Only in Atlanta can a manager keep a job and not worry about consequences.
Good God what a mess.
Jenzen Auldwauld, Sandy Springs
Rick in Jackson
June 17th, 2009
5:52 pm
I keep hearing (and thinking the same thing myself) that our pitching is pretty good BUT why is it that every time a team plays the Braves and has been struggling, they suddenly catch fire against us? If our pitching was so good that would not continue series after series after series. With the exception of Toronto that has been the case for weeks.
We either get a good start and the end of the game relievers give it up or the starter gets shelled early and the relievers come in an throw lights out but we are already down 5 and that’s insurmountable for this offense. Or finally we get the rain delay after 2 innings and screw up the bull pen for the next 3 games. The times we actually get a good start and it is held on to by the pen are the exception rather than the norm.
If our pitching was really that good we would be winning games 2-1 and 3-2 but instead we are on the other end. I can’t remember the last shut out WE pitched.
Yes, I think we have overestimated the hitting but I think we are just as guilty with overestimating the pitching – no consistency there either. This team just isn’t very good right now and what’s so frustrating is that all of the pieces show flashes of what they CAN do – problem is the team is like an engine with the spark plug wires in the wrong holes in the distributor cap – makes alot of noise but sure isn’t very smooth!
gene garbage
June 17th, 2009
5:52 pm
i remember playing for torre, awful, just awful…
gene garbage
June 17th, 2009
5:56 pm
can’t even play small ball, this team is way too slow….they’ve turned into the Boring Braves.
J K
June 17th, 2009
5:58 pm
Rick n J is right, our pitching has been a little suspect as of late, especially the bullpen. It is still good, however, or at the very least comfortably above average. I don’t get all this trading nonsense, or bringing up guys not ready for the majors. Who wants our Major League players that you want to trade? Do you not remember a guy named Jeff that came up, skipping AAA, and now is having problems. Please don’t wish the same on Heyward, Freeman, or our other minor league position players.
Paul Lentz
June 17th, 2009
5:59 pm
Blaming Terry Pendleton for the Braves hitting woes is no different than when some parents blame the teacher for their kid not getting good grades in school. It isnt Pendleton’s fault that Kelly and Francoeur cant hit worth sh_t. And it isnt the teacher’s fault when some kid is as dumb as a doornail.
Either you have the ability to make adjustments and hit the ball…..or you dont. Either your kid is stupid and lazy……….or not. Simple as that. Blaming the teacher or hitting coach isnt going to make Francoeur a better hitter or turn your dumb kid into a genius.
J K
June 17th, 2009
6:01 pm
I don’t know what it is with the Braves and running the bases, as well as other aspects of ’small ball’ gene g. Is it Bobby holding them back, or are they just knuckleheads on the bases? If we give the sign to Escobar to steal, will he run across the pitcher’s mound and slide into third?
Hillbilly Deluxe
June 17th, 2009
6:02 pm
In my view the Braves have tried to project themselves as a contender this year just to keep the fans interested and sell some tickets. I think they are really involved in a 2-3 year rebuilding phase and knew this was about what was going to happen.
And just a side note about Ted Turner: They had some very good teams with Ted as owner but that was after John Schuerholz started running the team. They had some mighty dreadful years under Ted before that.
Mark Bradley
June 17th, 2009
6:03 pm
According to RotoWorld, Packerman, Jason Heyward has been hurt.
Basetracker
June 17th, 2009
6:04 pm
The Braves were never in it. Look to next year. The decision to pay $10 mill a year for 3 years to washed up Chipper is a joke . The money is needed for a real bat.
Tyrone
June 17th, 2009
6:06 pm
Just as long as the “Cubbies” miss out on making the playoffs (and the Yankees missing out would be great, too), I’ll be happy.
J K
June 17th, 2009
6:07 pm
He did win the batting title last year, and is hitting well again. Defense at third not great though.
jimmy a
June 17th, 2009
6:07 pm
hey did ya`ll read where i said Fire Wren welllllllllll
Nebraska Brave Fan
June 17th, 2009
6:10 pm
It is sad that the season has gone like this. I do find it ironic that the Braves traded away 3 decent prospects for McClouth and everyone says they won’t get much for Frenchy on the trade market. Yet McClouth is only hitting less than 10 points hire. To me a curious trade. Or one of desperation.
Packerman
June 17th, 2009
6:11 pm
Thanks MB, glad you’re still responding.
Bill (SC)
June 17th, 2009
6:15 pm
I attended the second game of the Blue Jays series. What a game! I sat behind Jeff Francoeur close to the foul pole. There was a group of young ladies sitting near me and one was about to get married. They continually called Jeff Francoeur and were trying to get his attention during the entire game. They each had a sign relating to Jeff and obviously were fond of him but not because of his baseball talent.
He acknowledged them several times during the game and even threw a baseball to them. If Jeff Francoeur would concentrate solely on the baseball game and not on his fans I wonder if he might have more success. I must admit my respect for Jeff Francoeur went down after watching what happened during this game.
Shoeless Joe
June 17th, 2009
6:16 pm
Too much emphasis over the past few years has been placed on adding that “piece or two” to put us over the top. I think the overwhelming reason for this was to send JS and Bobby out as “winners”. There is no reasoned architecture to this team. Wren went out in the offseason and signed three starters, committing a significant percentage of the available budget, when an offensive upgrade was sorely needed. Now we’re waiting for Heyward et. al. to arrive. By the time they get here the rotation will need another overhaul. Most important, however, is the fact that Bobby is ill suited to deal with the day to day ups and downs of the younger player’s. I just picture him sitting in his office until a few minutes before gametime and heading back after the game is over, not really saying much to anybody in between. Everybody is in awe of him, but he’s a shadow of the manager he was when he helped construct the team that won all those division titles. Time to move on…
Mike Klein
June 17th, 2009
6:17 pm
Chipper Jones, Jair Jurrgens, Rafael Soriano and Brian McCann are untouchable. Derek Lowe has done his job; Mike Gonzalez is flaming out. The rest of the mound corps is average but not better. Has everyone seen enough of Kenshin Kawakami? Please, take a Delta flight home! This team needs Tim Hudson when he can go. But most significant, it needs new talent at first, second, left, right and shortstop if Escobar continues to play in his fog. This is not a good team. It cannot move Francoeur; nobody wants him, including the Braves. A few coaches could also go, especially the hitting and pitching coaches. This team cannot compete in the NL East.
JD
June 17th, 2009
6:17 pm
I just see so much more potential in KJ and Francoeur. I hate to blame it on the coaching, but I really think something should’ve and could’ve been done to either prevent or shorten their epic falls.
PS – Nice use of the word “fortnight,” Mark
JD
June 17th, 2009
6:18 pm
PPS – Thanks for the FB friend ad. That’s more than I can say for the other Mark Bradley in Atlanta
varodrunner
June 17th, 2009
6:32 pm
MB
Love to see an article about Bobby Cox – but please be candid. He has had his years of apparent brillance, but was it an illusion due to have three Cy Youngs pitching for him?
Rather than for entertainment value, serve up the truth as you see it.
I’ll look fo rit.
Roy Schoenbeck
June 17th, 2009
6:33 pm
The team lacks enthusiasm starting with the manager. Bobby seems tired, not prone to argue calls anymore and showing his frustration (with Escobar) in front of the fans Is Ned Yost available?
varodrunner
June 17th, 2009
6:40 pm
This team needs a leader and the heir apparent would be Chipper (to Smoltz) But time will tell if Chipper is up to the task. I haven’t heard of any closed door meetings or any a$$ kickings. Make some of this public (not specifics) so we fans will know at least you care about your dismal performance. Who is calling Franceour to task? Who tells McCann that last night’s last at-bat was horrible and required a little more patience (of course if he gets a hit he’s a hero). who kicks Yunels butt when he F’s up? I just don’t see it and what do we have to look forward to next year? Nothing changing. I really don’t think trading away the farm for McClouth was a “big move” on our part. Locke is rated as a #2 and Gorkys should have been the heir apparent to no one right now. He would be our first real CF since Andruw. Hell, bring Andruw home next year.
Mark Bradley
June 17th, 2009
6:42 pm
Chipper Jones is a great player — whoops, jinxed him! — but I wouldn’t call him a leader. He commands great respect, but he’s something of a stoic.
Mark Bradley
June 17th, 2009
6:43 pm
Thanks, JD. I need all the friends I can get.